


THE REMINDER

by kei_yairi



Category: the GazettE
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angel Wings, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Gen, Heavy Angst, Light Angst, M/M, OOC, One Shot, One Shot Collection, One True Pairing, One of My Favorites
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-07
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-12-24 23:53:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12023736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kei_yairi/pseuds/kei_yairi
Summary: His bleeding self was never part of his concern. The place that was surrounding the young man was similar to a glass ball with a working desk in it.





	THE REMINDER

“Ah?” The young man gasped when a drop of blood fell from his nose. He hurriedly wiped the paper that was suddenly dotted with blood. “This is not good…” He quickly covered his nose to prevent more blood strewn the other papers.

No. He didn’t panic for the blood from his nose. It was never about his nose-bleeding. His bleeding self was never part of his concern. The blood was not crucial enough to make his heart beat faster. He was worried for the papers he had on his desk.

There were dates on each paper. There were March 2nd, May 13th, August 25th, and the other three hundred sixty two dates. It was written on every paper with different timing, and different address. How many papers you think spread on his table?

“It… it’s not the leap year… this is… not a leap year…” he reminded himself as he gazed upward, still trying to prevent more blood slipped from his nose. Because he couldn’t look at what he was stepping on, he was almost tripped by papers under his feet.

No, there was no floor in the _room_. It’s not even a room in the first place. The place that was surrounding the young man was similar to a glass ball with a working desk in it. The chair was the only thing that could lessen the young man’s tiredness.

With the chair, the young man didn’t have to stand to write all of the dates, the schedule, and agenda on hundreds—no. Thousands—no. Millions? Perhaps. Or maybe it’s even more than _mere_ ‘millions’ of papers inside the ball-shaped glass room.

Desk, chair, papers, and pen – with seemingly infinite ink – were the things that always accompanying him all the time. The young man only wore a priest-like white robe, and a rope as the belt. He only wore those every single day.

No, he didn’t have to change his clothes. What for? He was not human. The Absolute Being called him with the name “Reminder”. He was the creature with the duty to arrange and straighten humans’ memories.

Then why was he bleeding? He’s NOT human, was he?

Yes, he’s not human. Yet he’s not an omnipotent either. He’s not eternal. He’s not immortal. The age could still crack him and he still had the limitedness. Again, he’s not even close to a demigod. He’s only a Reminder.

There were many blood spots on his white robe. It wasn’t the first time blood dripped from his nose. It happened to him before, a day before, a week before, a month before. Yet there was even no time for him to clean it all.

Why did he bleed? Because taking care of millions of promise in three hundred and sixty five days in one year, in two thousands and seventeen years for millions different people, in millions different place was never an easy thing to do.

If you forgot about something, you could always blame him. He was the Reminder anyway. He was the one who reminded you, make you remember of every promise you’ve made: meetings, sport club gathering, a gift for your lover, and all.

The papers that spread on his desk and everywhere inside the big glass ball were humans’ entire memories that he recorded. From inside the glass ball where he _lived_ , he would send the Memories to each human using the “Messenger” services.

“Aoi?”

The Reminder turned his head toward one of the Messengers that floated outside his big glass ball. That one Messenger was the only one who ever spoke to him. They always met in secret like this. That way, both of them won’t get any warning.

If they got warning, they would get punishment. The worst punishment they’ve heard was the Messenger might get transferred to other divisions and they couldn’t see each other ever again. They tried very hard to prevent that from happening.

“Are you alright?” the Messenger asked.

The Reminder fell silent. “Aoi” was the name the Messenger gave him. The Messenger gave the name to him at January 20th seventeen years ago. It was exactly one year after their very first meeting. That was the first time he smiled too.

He read humans’ every memory on the papers inside his big glass ball. Every human had a name: Cheryl, Petra, Michael, Rico, Andy, Renee, and any other of it. Every one of them had a name and it meant a lot for any other human who called the names.

He read the names on the papers inside his glass ball. There were so many of it. Yet, the Reminder lived alone. A name was only an imaginary thing to him. No one around him would call him; a name would be no use for him.

In the end, not choosing any of written names, he kept the wish of having a name to himself.

“Hey, Aoi?” called the Messenger again, as he knocked on the big glass ball that _imprisoned_ the Reminder; Aoi, him. Aoi looked up at the Messenger that was still floating outside the big glass ball. Aoi saw him frowned.

“Yes?” Aoi answered, finally.

“I’m asking you… are you alright?” the Messenger repeated his question.

“I’m alright.” Aoi smiled wholeheartedly. He hid both of his hands behind him, away from the Messenger’s sight. Secretly Aoi wiped the blood from his hand to his white robe, adding more of the red spots to his once pale clothes.

The Messenger smiled, relieved. “Glad that you’re okay,” he said.

“I’m sorry for worrying you, Reita.”

The Messenger smiled. “Reita” was the name Aoi gave to the Messenger as gratefulness. He gave the name at May 27th, at the same year the Messenger gave him name. He chose “Reita” name from a strong male he found in of the memory letters about music.

Aoi exhaled a relieve sigh when he saw the Messenger smiled at the name Aoi gave him. He didn’t choose the wrong name then. Or else, he won’t see the Messenger smiled at him. After that moment, Reita was the only Messenger who had a name.

Oh, if you asked them about their ages, they won’t answer. They don’t have the answer. They couldn’t find the answer anywhere in the universe about when was the first time they opened their eyes, or when they could actually spoke for the first time.

“Ah?” Aoi stretched his hand toward Reita. But of course, his palm stopped at the glass that was surrounding him, holding him from touching anything outside the big glass ball. The only moment the glass ball would be opened was when he gave the rolled papers of humans’ memories to the Messenger.

From there, the Messengers were the ones who sent the memories to each human. Those were the only thing they’ve done. They never opened the big glass ball, they never could. They didn’t have the power to do it.

None of them could even answer a question about when will the glass ball be opened again after this.

Aoi stroked his hand at the glass ball, as if he was caressing Reita’s forehead. “Is that… a scar?”

It startled the Messenger. He touched his own forehead and forced a chuckle. “This was nothing.”

“I didn’t see it when you visited me last time.”

“You remembered…?”

How would a Reminder forget such thing? There were more than thousands of – humans’ – memories he managed every single day. Remembering things was what he expert at. Of course a change in someone special’s face was so noticeable for him.

“What happened?” Aoi asked.

“Nothing h—”

“WHAT HAD HAPPENED?!” Aoi repeated. His loud voice echoed inside his big glass ball. Among anything Reita had, a lie was absolutely Aoi’s least favourite thing. A lie was the least thing he expected to hear from Reita.

Reita lowered his gaze, breaking his stare away from Aoi. “Guardian…”

“Guardian?” Aoi gasped. “A Guardian hit you?” Aoi asked, and Reita nodded slowly. “Bu… but why?!”

Reita stared deep into Aoi’s eyes. He stretched both of his hands and leaned it on the big glass ball that _imprisoned_ Aoi inside it. “They were angry when I asked for permission from them to let you take a rest for awhile.”

“Wh… what..?!”

“I asked them to open this glass ball!” Reita hit the glass ball. There was no tremble. The glass ball didn’t even quaver. The glass was too hard to be shattered by anyone. Who made the glass ball? That’s a rhetorical question and such question didn’t need any answer, did it?

“Rei… why—”

“I want them to open this glass ball, Aoi. I want them to let you wash your clothes, or even give you a new one. I want them to let you step on proper floor. I want them to let you know that there are other colours than the paper white, your pen ink black, or your blood red, Aoi!”

“Rei, you don’t—”

“I WANT YOU TO LIVE, AOI!”

The Reminder fell onto the piles of papers inside the glass ball. The amount of papers that already became his responsibility almost made him blind for real globe-shape of the glass that was surrounding him.

Those piles of papers had become the new place for him to stand on. Aoi even had to pull his desk up and out from those papers piles. New people born, memories increased, newly papers emerged and Aoi’s job was automatically swelled out.

“I… I DO live, Reita…” A tear streamed from Aoi’s eyes.

“You’re FAR more valuable than those papers, Aoi!”

“Humans need these, Reita…” Aoi gripped the cloth in front of his chest.

“WHAR FOR?! To make them remember when they have to finish off their business competitor?! When they have to start a war with other country?! How many seconds they need to blow a building?! Do you work for those things, Aoi?!”

“It’s not only those, Rei!” Aoi screamed between his sobs.

“Fine! It’s not only those! You have to remind mothers to give those teddy bears to their daughters. Remind a guy to give the ring to the girl. Now, let me ask you. ONE. THING. Aoi. When was the last time you got a present?!”

“January 20th seventeen years ago…” Aoi answered without even think about it.

The answer drove Reita into mute. Yes, it was the only ‘gift’ Aoi had ever received in his _life_. ‘Aoi’ was the only thing the Reminded ever get as a present. For all this time as a Reminder, that was the only thing he—

“No…” Aoi frowned. “Th… there’s another one…”

“What?” Reita asked without looking back at Aoi. He was the only who ever _gave_ something to the Reminder. And ‘Aoi’ was the only _thing_ he ever gave. It’s almost impossible for the Reminder to even get second thing after that.

The rules that bind them even prevent anyone in the system to look into each others’ eyes. Moreover to _exchange gifts_. Reita and Aoi looked at each others’ eyes thousand times. They _exchanged gifts_. They were the rebel in the unbounded _organization_.

“It’s… you… Rei…” Aoi caressed the glass before him, _caressed_ Reita’s face that he could never touch. “God sent you to accompany me here… you’re the other _present_ I’ve ever received. The first one. The best one even.”

Reita fell into another silent for the words. He had never expected such an answer.

“I was never really lonely because you’re here with me, Rei…” The Reminder smiled. “You’re the _gift_ I _always_ received every time you came here; you visited me, and asked about how I was feeling all the time inside here…”

The Messenger reciprocated the smile. At the same time, a tear escaped his eyes. “There are so many other things I want to give you, Aoi. But it’s impossible to bring a pine tree here, isn’t it?” Reita asked and made both of the giggled.

“Yes, of course it’s impossible to bring a pine tree to a place where humans’ memories are the only priority here,” said a voice that startled both the Reminder and the Messenger. They turned their heads toward the owner of the voice.

It’s a Guardian. A Guardian with a pair of majestic white wings behind his back kept him floated in the air. It was the Guardian who hit Reita. It was the Guardian who had the duty to make sure every person in the system followed the orders, and everything was under control.

If there was anything happened not appropriate with the rules and regulations, a Guardian would take action to return everything into the proper lane. Guardian, the creature in shining platinum armours, with a sword in his hand, was currently doing his duty.

“Reminders don’t receive any gift because it’s not their duty to receive any,” the Guardian explained. “And Messengers don’t give anything to anyone because it’s not their duty to give any. Both of you are CURSED for breaking those rules.”

“But we’ve never neglect our duties!” Reita resisted.

“I see that you’re lying. I don’t find truth in your words.” The Guardian asked as he turned his head and looked at Aoi. “Look. Then why is this Reminder not sitting on his chair and not writing humans’ memories that had been entrusted to him?”

“Have you ever put yourself in his position?!” Reita yelled at the Guardian. “Have you ever thought if you have to work non-stop, dealing with things that were actually not your responsibility?! Why don’t humans do something to their limited memories with their hands, pens, papers, and—”

The Guardian hit Reita’s face with the back of his platinum-gloved hand. The vast power the Guardian possessed threw Reita away far from Aoi’s glass ball. “Reita?!” Aoi called when he saw a blood trickled in the air.

“Protest is not in the list of Messenger’s duties. Your punishment had been added, Young Man.”

“Wait! He’s innocent!” Aoi defended

“Defending anyone is also not part of your duty, Reminder!” The Guardian unsheathed his sword.

“No…” Reita stretched his hand.

“That Messenger of yours once asked me to let you out from your workplace, this glass orb.” The Guardian drew his sword high above his head, in front of Aoi. “You want to go out?” asked the Guardian. “I’ll open this glass orb for you!”

“No!” Reita called when he saw the Guardian swung his sword with all of his might, right to the glass ball that kept Aoi inside. “Aoi?!” The Messenger screamed when the Guardian’s sword shattered the glass ball in one slash.

There Aoi got the answer. Outside from his duty, handing those memories to the Messengers, the thing that could open his glass ball is only one: Guardian’s sword. But to make a Guardian swung his sword, Aoi must made him mad first, by breaking the rules.

And to be able to leave the glass ball, Aoi had to lose his blood more than he shed all of this time.

The papers filled with humans’ memories scattered in the air. The glass ball shattered into small pieces and shards that floated down. Like a crystal rain, the shards fell along with Aoi’s body, to the much wider area, a wider place that was always away from Aoi’s reach before.

“Aoi!!!”

Reita flew to Aoi’s direction, but with speed and power level far above Reita, the Guardian caught him and held him in his place. Reita could only witness Aoi’s body that fell with blood bespattered from the large wound on his chest.

_「…“There are other colours than the paper white, your pen ink black, or your blood red, Aoi!”…」_

Reita’s words returned in Aoi’s heart. As he fell, Aoi looked up at the papers floated above him. His ink bottle was also smashed to smithereens; Aoi watched the ink trickled in a slow motion. The blackness of the ink mixed with the redness from the blood from his body.

_The colours were still white… still black… and still red, Reita…_

“Ah..?” Aoi gasped as his gaze caught some other things. The glass fragments that fell with him collected the light from the sun and refracted it into many colours. There were so many colours other than white, black, and red Aoi saw on the glass tiny fragments’ surfaces. It was around him.

Aoi smiled. He finally saw what Reita had planned to show him. Aoi searched for orange colour. Among those colours, Aoi could only guess which was green without knowing whether he was right or wrong. He was unsure whether certain colour was indigo or was it something else.

“It’s… beautiful… Rei…” Aoi said with a smile before he closed his eyes for the last time.

“AOI!!!”

“Thank you… Reita…”

  
**____....++++****・=fin=・****++++....____**


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